Surgeons can now see and handle the body parts they will be repairing in the operating theatre before making a single cut, thanks to 3D-printed models.
The parts shown here were all used in complex reconstructive surgery on real patients. They were produced by Cavendish Imaging in London using detailed data from three dimensional CT or MRI scans.
"We're making physical what was virtual," says Andrew Dawood, the company's founder. "It's something in our hands that's tactile and tangible." Andy Coghlan

In 2007, a Nigerian bank manager had most of his lower jaw shot away by robbers in Lagos. With the help of 3D printed models, surgeons were able to make him a replacement out of one of his shoulder blades. They even managed to give him a set of functioning, implant-anchored teeth in the same operation, the first time this has been possible.

The image shows a 3D model that recreates the full jawbone, based on the parts of it that survived the shooting. From this, maxillofacial surgeon Iain Hutchison of St Bartholomew's Hospital in London was able to make sure the jawbone had the exact dimensions 'needed to fit. The part that looks like a bicycle chain is made of titanium and fixes the jaw to the man's face.